Fourth-quarter failure vs. Cavs frustrates Pistons

AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons put together three quarters of solid basketball against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

That's rarely good enough to beat a top teams in the NBA, and Sunday's 90-80 loss to the Cavaliers was no exception.

Detroit went into the fourth quarter ahead by eight points, its largest lead of the game. But the Central Division-leading Cavs (37-9) countered with a blistering 15-2 run and never looked back.

"They got aggressive at the beginning of the fourth," Pistons coach Michael Curry said. "We gave up a couple of open shots. They made a couple tough shots, and we gave a couple of offensive rebounds up for baskets. We never regained control after that."

Detroit finds itself just four games over .500, something that hasn't happened this late in a season for Detroit since the 2001-2002 campaign.

"If we keep playing like this, we're going to be an under-.500 team, and we'll be struggling to make the playoffs," said Pistons forward Antonio McDyess. " It's frustrating. It's a major letdown, and I can't really put my finger on it."

Curry refutes New York story
A story in the New York Post cited "a veteran (who) confided to a friend" that the Pistons players have "no confidence" in Michael Curry as their coach.

Having spent last season as a Detroit assistant coach under coach Flip Saunders, Curry anticipated stories critical of him citing unnamed sources would surface, regardless of how well the team played.

"They were out there when we were winning," Curry said.

Such stories don't bother Curry. He just wishes whoever makes comments would go on the record.

"Stand on it," Curry said.

McDyess has no regrets
The Pistons' past two losses have come against teams that are among the front-runners to win an NBA title this season. Antonio McDyess turned down offers to play with both Boston and Cleveland in November after he reached a buyout agreement with the Denver Nuggets.

With the way the Pistons have struggled while those team continue to surge ahead, he admits that he occasionally plays the "what-if" game.

"You look at the other side sometimes and think, but I don't try and second guess myself," he said. "I made this decision. I'll live with it, and move on."